Sri Lanka's Ambassador to China has been speaking of the kindness of two
Chinese schoolboys who offered 400 yuan (US$48) for tsunami victims at the
country's embassy in Beijing.

"It was really impressive," said Nihal Rodrigo yesterday, who despite
acknowledging the amount was not significant, said the intention was priceless.

The two boys had refused to meet the media, he added.

The ambassador said he believed the children had been very touched by what they had seen in the reports.

Buddhists make donations at a prayer service in
Beijing January 1, 2005. Buddhists from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan
have donated a total of 9.93 million yuan (US$1.2 million) in the prayer
service to the tsunami-hit countries in Southeast Asia.
[Xinhua]

In many ways, large and small, people around China have been opening up their
hearts and their wallets for the disaster victims in Sri Lanka and other
countries.

Donations from non-government sources -- from business circles and ordinary
Chinese -- rose to US$800,000 by Saturday at the Embassy of Sri Lanka.

"We really appreciate the generosity of the Chinese Government and its
people," Rodrigo said.

Rodrigo, who was appointed ambassador a year ago, has reasons to be grateful
as his own nearest and dearest were spared from the devastation.

But he spoke of the anguish he felt for those who had been affected.

Prayer services for the four major religions of Sri Lanka were held in the
embassy last Friday and about 15 Sri Lankan nationals, including students and
business people in Beijing, attended. There are no more than 40 Sri Lankans in
the capital and nearby areas.

Rodrigo said they were praying for the victims and that survivors would not
be further afflicted by disease and be able to recover soon.

His family is from Batticaloa, known for its legendary "singing fish" and now
one of the worst-hit areas in the country.

Gunaruban's mother was in the United States for Christmas and his house, five
miles from the coast, survived.

The ambassador said the death toll had reached 35,000 and was climbing.

"Five thousand people are still missing and their chance of surviving is
slim," he said.

He said 750,000 people had escaped death but had been left homeless. "They
now live in refugee centres, camps, churches or with their relatives," he said.

He said the government's immediate priority was to help these homeless
people.

"We have to give them food and we have to deal with the possible spread of
epidemics," he said.

Though supplies from various parts of the world have been airlifted to
Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, the distribution to affected areas needed to
be improved, Rodrigo said.

Roads were narrow and damaged and trucks carrying food and other necessary
supplies took at least five hours to get from Colombo to Galle, which is around
120 kilometres south of the capital and also one of the worst-hit areas.

"We are hoping to begin the reconstruction work of our homeland by the end of
January," he said.

Aid was pouring in, but the ambassador said some was simply not needed -- for
instance clothing.

Financial assistance is the fastest and easiest way to help, material help is
also welcome and medicine is expected but best discussed with the embassy before
despatch, he said.

In the embassy waiting room, a pile of packages waits to be sent, courtesy of
Chinese donors. "They will be sent to Sri Lanka soon," said the ambassador.

The Embassy of Sri Lanka is accepting contributions on telephone number:
86-10-65321861 or 86-10-65321862.